The field of endeavor for this invention is related to beadwork, specifically a tool to be used in the creation of beading designs.
Beads are defined as small pieces of glass, stone, plastic or other materials, typically rounded and perforated for threading with other beads, to form designs. Beading is the process by which beads are strung together to create a multitude of final products. Many beading products are weaved, that is, formed by interlacing long threads passing in one direction with others at a right angle to them, either on a loom or free hand. The resultant products are used for, and as, but not limited to, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, belts, headbands, decorative appliques, purses, etcetera. These beaded products are of varying widths and lengths. There are a variety of stitches used in the fabrication of the beaded product. Two such examples are the straight/square stitch, wherein the beads are aligned in horizontal straight rows; and the staggered peyote/brick/Comanche stitch, in which the bead rows are offset to each other in horizontal rows.
As general information, beads are available in a multitude of sizes, with sizes designated by the number of beads, when stood on edge, that fit within an inch. The larger the bead size, the smaller the number designation. Size 11 bead, also designated as 11/0, or 11″, is commonly used in beading, however available sizes range from 22/0 to 6/0. The cited size designations are nominal, as different bead manufactures may vary slightly in size while calling a bead, for example, 11/0. For other design and application purposes, beads are available in many more sizes and shapes.
Beads are available not only in a wide variety of sizes, but also a wide variety of colors, and bead designs are limited only by the constructing person's (the beader's) imagination. Thus, selection of colors, size, and ultimately the design creation requires considerable time on the part of the beader. Using the actual beads in the design process is of great benefit in translating the beader's concept to the final product.
There were no tools or devices discovered in the Prior Art search that offers the beader the ability to design a bead design with the actual, intended beads and then, if desired, transpose the design to create the physical work.
In reviewing Prior Art, it was found that there are many applications for stitching beads using various substrates and mesh materials, on which beads can be attached. In these instances, the substrate becomes an inextricable part of the finished product. There are jewelry piece castings with holes for thread used in the stringing of beads. These do not directly address the product which this invention covers.
One method creates a different type of bead with an attached projection, designed to insert into a mesh material. This requires special beads, not commonly available. Yet another method used in the design of a beaded product is a paper pattern, creating a bead design on it, adhering the paper pattern to a form, and stitching the beads directly over the beading pattern surface. The drawbacks to this particular approach are; a) need of multiple coloring pencils which may not approximate the intended beads coloring, b) an awkward and uneven beading result.
None of these methods address the creation of a bead design with the actual, intended beads of the finished work. This invention is a tool used in the creation of bead designs utilizing the actual, intended beads. The design may then be directly transferred to the final product by simply using needle and thread to string each bead from the Beading Design Tool to the loom or free hand creation.
There are currently several methods used in the design of a beaded product which was not located in Prior Art review. One method is using one of several software tools offered online. The beader either downloads the program or works with it online. The drawbacks to the software tool are several; a) it requires a beader to own or have access to the computer and printer, b) it requires the beader to have some knowledge of using an electronic design tool, c) the colors in the software palate often are not identical matches for the actual bead colors the beader intends to use, thus the representation of the design will not be a true representation of the intended creation, d) translation of the software version to the physical version is fraught with possible errors, not always noticeable by the beader until a fair amount of the beading work has already been done. The above (d) drawback is due to the small sizes and variances of colors of the beads, exacerbated with the constant need to shift the beader's eyes from screen or paper pattern representation of the software output to the loom or free hand physical beading. The result of this manner of execution from software representation to physical design may very easily translate to an omitted, added, or incorrect color bead, not noticeably apparent to the beader until many rows are completed. Repair of these types of errors would require the beader recognize the exact spot the error was made and to undue the beading work to the point.
Another method used in the design of a beaded product and not located in Prior Art review, is simply a paper grid, sometimes known as pattern papers, whereby the beader uses colored pencils to color individual grid boxes, thus creating the bead design. The drawbacks to this approach are: a) the need for a wide array of colored pencils which almost never approximate the colors of the intended beads, b) translation of the paper design to the physical version is fraught with possible errors, not always noticeable by the beader until a fair amount of beading work has already been done. The drawback is due to the small sizes and variances of colors of the beads, exacerbated with the constant need to shift the beader's eyes from the paper pattern to the loom or free hand physical beading. The result of this manner of execution from pattern to physical design may very easily translate to an omitted, added, or incorrect color bead, not noticeably apparent to the beader until many rows are completed. Repair of these types of erros would require the beader recognize the exact spot the error was made and to undo the beading work to the point of the error. Note paper patterns are also available with preprinted designs, however the color matching and physical execution issues remain.
Advantages of this invention are:                a. The beader will create the beading design using the actual, intended design beads, thereby eliminating the need to approximate bead color representations through other design means.        b. The beader will be able to make changes or alter the design by simply removing the bead(s) from a particular location on the tool, and rearranging the bead(s) as the beader chooses, without having to undo any other portion of the design.        c. Upon completing the bead design, the beader may choose to use the actual beads from the Beading Design Tool in the making of the beaded product. By simply using the beading needle to string the beads in the Beading Design Tool row by row, the beader can transpose the design to the loom, or use the free hand stitching technique.        d. Upon completing the bead design, the beader may also choose to create the beaded product with new beads, leaving the newly creating design on the Beading Design Tool and duplicating the design on a loom or free hand.        e. In using this Beading Design Tool, the beader has a method for bead design creation unlike any tool currently available. No substrates, special beads, software, or paper patterns are required. The creation process is constructed with the actual beads, thus reflecting the actual intended colors, and translation of the design to the final product is now less prone to beader error.        
12 Related Prior ArtPublicationPat. No.Filing DateDateApplicantTitleU.S. 1,499,769Jul. 7, 1922Jul. 1, 1924Marcel GodefroyFabricated beadworkU.S. 1,508,818Jul. 7, 1923Sep. 16, 1924William Poida ABbadwobk loomU.S. 2,102,746Mar. 1, 1937Dec. 21, 1937Evans Case CoOrnamentationU.S. 3,545,069Apr. 30, 1968Dec. 8, 1970Krieger Bernard LMethod and means of stringing beadsU.S. 3,708,862Jun. 10, 1971Jan. 9, 1973E PowellMethod of stringing beadsU.S. 4,016,183Apr. 17, 1972Apr. 5, 1977Wallach Alfred HBead with a projectionU.S. 5,292,255Nov. 30, 1992Mar. 8, 1994Goldwasser Solomon PBeaded picture kit and methodU.S. 5,494,734Jan. 18, 1994Feb. 27, 1996Widders; Cat A.Technique for beaded decorative articleU.S. 5,562,451Jul. 8, 1994Oct. 8, 1996Polymerics, Inc.Craft art product including three-dimensionalbead matrix designsU.S. 6,686,021B1May 31, 2000Feb. 3, 2004Frances Janney CaseBeading pattern surface and method forcreating beadworkWO 2014096979 A1Feb. 1, 2013Jun. 26, 2014Dee TaylorBead and mesh beading techniqueU.S. 20140147614A1Nov. 26, 2013May 29, 2014Dee TaylorBeaded decorative accessories and methodsof making beaded decorative accessories13 ClassificationsU.S. Classification 428/131, 29/433, 63/37, 428/207, 63/38, 428/143, 428/195, 269/47International Classification D04D7/02Cooperative Classification D04D7/02, Y10T29/49838, Y10T428/24802, Y10T428/24901, Y10T428/24372European Classification D04D/02